Hnry
From overwhelming to empowering, simplifying self-employment
Industry
FinTech
Services
B2C
Role
Brand strategy
Year / Duration
2016
Overview
Hnry, a platform built by self-employed for self-employed, emerged from the belief that there had to be a better way to manage tax obligations. The founders looked to build the brand to resonate with a diverse audience and grow awareness in line with their vision; to simplify self-employment and empower people to work how and for who they want.
Results
39% increase
in customer conversions
23% increase
in average time on the website
52% reduction
in inbound customer questions
Self-employed tax obligations; Overwhelming, stressful and frustrating
Despite a strong origin story, Hnry needed to properly define its brand values to connect with a broad, varied audience. The founder’s journey and experience brought authenticity, but the brand narrative, so far only focused on the practical, had struggled to engage the audience. We identified:
Misaligned messaging
and the overly complex language of tax created a disconnect from the simplicity and empowerment at the heart of Hnry’s mission.
A lack of emotion
without a relatable, personal touch, Henry was just another tool, not the trusted friend it aimed to be.
A confused and growing audience
who were unclear as to how Hnry could help them across their diverse industries.
Simplifying self-employment
I started by diving deep into the founders' vision and values. I summarised their founding belief in a single statement to underpin our work; to make self-employment simple and more accessible for anyone, and help them to succeed in what they want to be doing.
We refined the tone of voice to feel like a trusted expert and friend; down-to-earth, relatable and encouraging. Every element, from the visual language to the website, was updated to be more intuitive and reduce friction, reducing complexity by providing users only what they need to know.
Hnry’s updates set its position as the go-to platform for freelancers and sole traders, aligning its brand with its mission to simplify and empower, making the complex world of self-employment stress-free.
Draft tone of voice guidelines
Hnry talks to you, as a friend.
Encouraging, helpful, approachable and knows-his-stuff. But Hnry's not a snooze-fest know-it-all.
Hnry keeps it personal, using your name when possible, and talks at your level.
Hnry doesn't use overly formal language or address people as a group (unless entirely necessary).
Example
Hi Eloise, thanks for getting in touch…
Hnry keeps it simple.
Hnry will tell you what you need to know in a way you'll understand. Hnry uses straight-forward, easy to understand language.
Hnry doesn't bamboozle with jargon or overcomplicate anything.
Example
It's coming up to the time we file your GST return.
Have you made any recent purchases?
Hnry will tell you what you need to know.
Hnry is a bit of a geek and likes to have a laugh, but will make sure to answer all your questions first.
Hnry gives you the information you need. And if you ask for more, Hnry will direct you to it.
Hnry doesn't give you too much information.
Hnry is approachable and doesn't take things too seriously…
Unless it's about tax.
Example
Ready to get started?
Check out our simple set-up guide:
[link to guide]
Example
We've been checking our records, because that's the sort of fun time we have here at Hnry, …
Working with Kelcey was a really rewarding experience. This piece of work required a strong mix of patience, understanding and pragmatism – which Kelcey has in spades.
The entire process was highly methodical and structured, and the end result was an extremely visually appealing site, far better than what had come previously. The end result was justification for why it’s always best to hire a professional rather than continue to tinker away yourself!
– James Fuller, CEO and co-founder
What I did
Strategy
Values, purpose, proposition and personality
Language, tone of voice and messaging
Design
Content and information architecture
I'm always keen to collaborate when I have the time. Give me a shout about an upcoming project, email:
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